Hair trimmer and molder



May l A51 o. W. GROW 2,551,535

HAIR TRIMMER AND MOLDER Filed Aug. 2l, 1948 v nventor ORA W 6,6014/ \l v 48 38 a@ 34 Woud] m, @zum f@ Gttornegs Patented May l, 195i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAIR TRIMMER AND MOLDER Ora W. Grow, Astoria, N. Y.

Application August 21, 1948, Serial No. 45,463

Claims. 1

This invention relates to a hair trimmer and molder which may be used for thinning, shaping, tapering, and cutting hair.

It is an object of the invention to provide a trimmer or molder for trimming or shaping the hair which is provided with a sharp edged blade, preferably a double edged blade like that used in a safety razor, in which the blade is so supported in a guard or holder that the device may be effectively used without danger of cutting either the person upon which it isA used or the lingers of the operator.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a hair trimming device having at one side a guard means which exposes the edge of the blade substantially throughout its length so as to permit general trimming and shaping while at the other side, only a small part of the edge of the blade is exposed in such a manner that this edge may be used for fine or delicate cutting.

Another object of this invention is to provide a holder or guard for a hair trimmer which is formed of a sheet of plastic bent in such a Way as to provide slotted guards for the edges of the blade and also to provide a spring portion for engaging the blade so as to hold it firmly in position during use While at the same time permitting removal or replacement of the blade by the use of the ngers alone and without the employment of any special tools. No loose or adjustable fastening devices are required.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character set forth in which a handle or tail portion is provided formed of plastic twisted into spiral form to permit use for picking up the strand of hair without bunching o1' grouping of the hair so as to give the hair an even spread once it is picked up from the head. The spiral grooves and ridges on the tail or handle assist in preventing the hair from slipping endwise or sliding from the tail as it is picked up.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character set forth consisting of two parts of plastic, the guard or blade holder and the handle or tail cemented or welded together in such a way as to form a strong and solid unit in which the end of the handle which is secured to the guard or holder, reinforces the latter and holds the sides or flan-ges of the guard or holder in proper relative position.

With these and other objects in view which will appear more fully in the course of the following detailed description, reference is had to the drawing forming a part of this specification 2 in which are illustrated two preferred forms of the invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a preferred form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the construction shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a form of blade which may be used with the hair trimmer and molder;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a modified form of the hair trimmer and melder;

Fig. '7 is a transverse section on line 'l--l of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of one of the handle blanks used in making the device shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the blade holder or guard shown in Fig. l illustrating how the blade may be moved out of the holder by use of the fingers.

Referring particularly to the form of the in-` vention shown in Figs. l to 5, and 9, the device comprises a blade holder 20 adapted to receive a double edged blade, such as the blade 22 shown in Fig. 5, and a handle or tail portion 24 which is shown as made from a bar of square cross-section having a head 26 and a spiral twisted tail 28. The twisting of the square section bar forms a series of spiral grooves and ridges like a screw thread of coarse pitch which provides a convenient grasp for the hand when using the blade and which may also be used to pick up the strands of'hair and properly spread them in an even manner without bunching or grouping of the hair. When the handle is thus used to pick up the hair, the ridges also prevent the hair from slipping or sliding from the end of the tail while the hair is being spread out for trimming.

The blade holder 20 is preferably formed of a single sheetof plastic bent to provide a base or at side 30 and a curved or spring side 32 connected by a return bend 34. The sides 30 and 32 adjacent to the return bend are provided with a series of transverse slots 36 separated by guard teeth 38. The series of slots preferably extends throughout the major part of the length of the guard so as to expose'the edge of the razor blade throughout the greater part of its length. This provides a long cutter for the regular trimmingorrcutting operation of the instrument. As the 3 guard teeth 38 are continuous over the edge of the blade, the latter is thoroughly protected and the danger of accidental cutting of the skin is substantially eliminated.

The base or flat side of the guard is bent up at its edge opposite to the return bend 34 into a flange 40. A series of transverse slots 42 extends from close to the end of the holder part way down the length thereof diagonally across the corner between the flange and the side 30. These slots preferably have beveled ends 44. These slots expose a small part of the opposite edge of the razor blade from that exposed through the slots 36. Furthermore, owing to the fact that the slots extend only part way up the angular flange 40, the exposed edge of the blade is largely protected so that extended cutting of the hair is prevented. A cutting means is thus provided which is adapted for ne cuts or the trimming of limited areas.

The spring side 32 of the holder is bent up to form a flange 46 parallel to but spaced from the flange 40. Between the flange 4 5 and the return bend 34 the side 32 is bent downward to form a blade engaging surface or rib 48, the holder being so shaped that this rib 48 will press the razor blade against the base or side 38 so as to firmly retain the blade in position during use. The untwisted head 26 of the handle 24 fits between the flanges 40 and 46 to which it is permanently attached by welding, cementing, or otherwise. This not only serves to join the handle to the holder but the head of the handle also serves as a brace for holding the flanges 40 and 46 and accordingly the sides 38 and 32 in proper relative position. As the head 26 extends only a short distance between the flanges 4U and 46, however some flexibility of the holder is still permitted so that the flanges may be spread slightly and the sides 30 and 32 separated sufficiently to permit the blade to be removed when desired. This may be accomplished simply by inserting the tip of the foreflnger between the flanges as shown in Fig. 9, and lifting the flange 46 and side 32 slightly so as to free the blade from the pressure of the rib 48. It will thus be seen that the blade is gripped solely by the spring pressure of rib 48 pressing the blade against the side 30 and that the blade may be manipulated by use of the finger Without any special tool being employed.

If desired, the flange 46 may be made slightly arched longitudinally as indicated at 50 so as to increase longitudinal rigidity.

In Fig. 6 a modified construction of hair trimmer is shown. As illustrated, the guard or blade holder 60 is formed out of a flat sheet of plastic bent around into a flat tube with the edges of the sheet spaced apart so as to leave an open space 62 between such edges. This permits some spring action and also enables the blade to be reached for removal. The handle 64 is shown as constructed of two blanks 66 (Fig. 8) which are formed of sheet plastic and which have end portions 68 cemented or welded to the sides of the flattened tubular blade holder. The end portion 68 on the side of the holder .provided with the opening 62 preferably overlaps the opening slightly so as to be connected to the edges at both sides of the opening thereby serving to reinforce the holder. The tail portions of the blanks 66 are twisted together into spiral form as shown in Fig. 6 therebyr providing spiral ridges l0 which serve to evenly spread the hair when the handle is used as a` hair separator in preparing it for trimming.

While I prefer to make the hair trimmer of 4 plastic as this material is non-corrosive, light, and sufficiently elastic to function in the manner described, it will be understood that in some instances the device may be made partly or wholly of metal.

While I have illustrated and described in detail certain preferred forms of my invention, it is to be understood that changes may be made therein and the invention embodied in other structures. I do not, therefore desire to limit myself to the specific constructions illustrated, but intend to cover my invention broadly in whatever form its principle may be embodied.

I claim:

l. A hair trimmer comprising a sheet of resilient material bent to provide a base having an upturned flange at one edge thereof, a spring side connected to said base through a return bend, an outwardly extending flange on the edge of the spring side parallel with but spaced from the flange on the base and a plurality of transverse slots extending through the base and the spring side at the return bend connecting said base and side, and a plurality of slots extending transversely through the base and the flange at the edge thereof.

2. A hair trimmer comprising a sheet of resilient material bent to provide a base having an upturned flange at one edge thereof, a spring side connected to said base through a return bend, an outwardly extending flange on the edge of the spring side parallel with but spaced from the flange on the base, a plurality of transverse slots extending through the base and the spring side at the return bend connecting said base and side, and a plurality of slots extending transversely through the flat side and the flange at the edge thereof, said second series of slots extending from close to the outer end of the holder for a minor portion of the length of the holder.

3. A hair trimmer comprising a blade holder formed of resilient sheet material bent on a longitudinal line to form a blade supporting side and a blade clamping side for clamping a blade against said blade supporting side by resilient pressure, each of said sides. having a flange, said flanges being spread apart a sufficient distance to permit the insertion of a finger-.tip between the same for springing the blade clamping side away from the blade supporting side so4 as toA permit the insertion or removal of a blade, said holder having a series of transverse slots on the longitudinal folded edge where the sides of the holder are connected together and having a shorter series of transverse slots along the edge o f the blade supporting side adjacent to the flange on said side, and a handle projecting from one end of said holder.

4. A hair trimmer comprising a blade holder formed of resilient sheet material bent on a longitudinal line to form a blade supporting side and a blade clamping side for clamping a blade against said blade supporting side by resilient pressure, each of said sides having a flange, said flanges being spread apart a sufficient distance to permit the insertionrorf a finger-tip between the same for springing the blade clamping side away from the blade supporting side so as to permit the insertion or removal of a blade, said holder having a series of transverse slots on the longitudinal folded edge where the sides of the holder are connected together and having a shorter series of transverse slots along the edge of the blade supporting side adjacent to the flange on said side, and a handle projecting from one end of 5 said holder, said handle being twisted to provide helical corrugations.

5. A hair trimmer comprising a blade holder formed of a sheet of resilient material bent to provide a base having an upturned portion at one edge thereof and providing an abutment for one edge of a blade, a blade clamping side connected to said base through a return bend, an upwardly extending portion on the blade clamping side, said upturned and upwardly extending portions being spaced apart a sufficient distance to permit the' insertion of the nger tip between the portions for springing the blade clamping side away from the base to permit the insertion or removal of a blade, said holder having a series of A transverse slots along a side thereof so as to eX- pose portions of the blade edge in cutting position.

ORA W. GROW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 13.118,021 Pileggi Dec. 12, 1939 879,569 McDonald et al. Feb. 18, 1908 1,077,530 Hauser Nov. 4, 1913 1,247,908 Van Dersal Nov. 27, 191'? 1,602,262 Hilser Oct. 5, 1925 1,634,788 McGlashan July 5, 1927 1,693,973 Alland Dec. 4, 1928 1,833,293 Laguionie Nov, 24, 1931 1,856,475 Loughmiller July 5, 1932 2,288,299 Pileggi June 30,4942

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 156,728 Germany Aug. 10, 1939 186,455 Great Britain Oct. 5, 1922 

